Fulfilling Your Destiny
by pirateoftherings
Summary: You are Darth Vader. You have no heart. Emotions are merely tools. You have watched many men suffer their torturous deaths. Why should this one be any different? Yet the screams continue to afflict you, ripping through your very being...


You stare down at the smoking, sparking stump that just seconds ago was your artificial hand, your mechanized breathing ragged as you wait for the killing blow to come. It is inevitable; you know all too well the expression your attacker -your _son_- wears. It is the countenance of a young man on the edge, prepared to take the life of a helpless opponent…a young man lost to the dark side of the Force. Unbidden, memories slowly emerge from what feels like centuries ago; another lifetime…another man…

"Good, Anakin, good…" Palpatine chuckles from his seat. "Kill him…kill him now."  
Dooku looks powerlessly up at you, then at Palpatine. His expression is one of anger, confusion…and betrayal. Still you stand there, a lightsaber in each hand, poised to kill this helpless old man. "I shouldn't…" you hear yourself say.  
"Do it!" A moment's hesitation, and the lightsabers cross, forever ending the life of Count Dooku. You stand there, staring at the now-headless body and breathing heavily.  
"You did well, Anakin…"

The blow still has not come. Luke simply stands over you, poised to kill but seemingly hesitant to do so. Behind him, you hear Sidious's distinctive cackle as he makes his way down the steps for a better view. "Good…" he says, clasping his hands together in obvious enjoyment. "Your hate has made you powerful…Now, fulfill your destiny. Take your father's place at my side." Fulfill your destiny…

"What have I done?" you wonder aloud, collapsing into a low seat.  
Palpatine stands up slowly and gazes down at you. "You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin…"

Suddenly, it all becomes clear. You begin to realize what you should have realized from the start: it was never about you. The Prophecy, the Chosen One…meaningless in Sidious's scheme. Simply convenient facts that serve to further inflate your pride. All along, Sidious has been playing a one-man game, and you, like every apprentice before you, have only been a pawn.

Luke clenches his own mechanical hand into a fist and looks down at where yours once was. He is already like you in so many ways; you are sure his fall will follow suit. He closes his eyes, causing you to brace yourself inwardly. You know it's coming…

Taking a deep breath, Luke does the last thing anyone would have expected: he deactivates his lightsaber. "Never," he says plainly, tossing aside the weapon and turning to face Sidious. "I'll never turn to the dark side." _What?_ "You've failed, your Highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me." Like my father before me…_"_

_Our meeting was not a coincidence."  
-  
"Your thoughts dwell on your mother."  
"I miss her."  
"Hmm…Afraid to lose her, I think."  
"What's that got to do with anything?"  
"_Everything!_ Fear is the path to the dark side... fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...hate leads to suffering!…I sense much fear in you."  
-  
"The Council has given me permission to train you. You will become a Jedi, I promise."_

Sidious's triumphant expression rapidly becomes one of quiet consternation. He nods imperceptibly, and his mouth forms a tight line. Finally he speaks, the words dripping with malicious venom. "So be it…Jedi."

As you lie there, still recovering, you look upon the young man in confusion. How? There can be no escape from the dark side of the Force; there is none… And yet there he stands, the very man who only moments before was intent on killing you, telling the greatest of all Sith, '_No'. _He holds himself confidently, but not proudly; he senses his death and faces it without fear…like a Jedi.

_"I've accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father."  
"That name no longer has any meaning for me."  
"It is the name of your true self; you've only forgotten."  
-  
"I will not turn, and you'll be forced to kill me."  
"If that is your destiny."  
"Search your feelings, Father. You can't do this. I can feel the conflict within you; let go of your hate!"  
"It is too late for me, Son…The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. _He_ is your Master now."  
"...Then my father is truly dead."_

A small sense of pride emerges as you behold your son with new eyes. He has won. He has succeeded where you could not. Perhaps…no. You said it yourself: it is too late for you. For too long you have been enslaved to your Master; your fate will be the same as his.

"You're not all-powerful, Ani."  
"Well I should be! Someday I will be... I will be the most powerful Jedi ever! I promise you, I will even learn to stop people from dying!"  
-  
"I wasn't strong enough to save you, Mom…"  
-  
"The dark side is a pathway to many abilities some would consider to be…unnatural."  
-  
"I won't lose you, Padme."  
-  
"You do know, don't you? If the Jedi destroy me, any hope of saving her will be lost…"  
-  
"Good…Good…The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as Darth…Vader."  
"Thank you, My Master…"

Raising his hands slightly and taking half a step forward, Sidious addresses the young Jedi. "If you will not turn, you will be destroyed!" Sith lightning suddenly lashes out from his gnarled hands, knocking Luke back against a stack of containers. As the electricity continues to snake its way through the young man's body, you do the only thing you can do: you get up slowly and take your place at your Master's side.

"Young fool," Sidious says condescendingly, looking down emotionlessly at the boy. "Only now, at the end, do you understand." More and more lightning lashes out, causing Luke to scream in pain with each strike.

Behind your dark mask, you wince, remembering the first time you experienced Sith lightning…

"You're going to pay for all the Jedi you've killed today, Dooku."  
"We'll take him together. You go in slowly on the left-"  
"No, I'm taking him now!"  
"No, Anakin, no!"  
Dooku extends a hand and sends bolts of lightning flying toward you, flinging you back against a rock wall. Pain. There is no other way to describe it. White-hot bolts of sheer pain coursing through every inch of your body, draining away your very life force. There is no torture more agonizing.

Sidious draws closer still. "Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side," he sneers, letting loose another flash of electricity. "You will pay for your lack of vision."

_You bring your lightsaber down, cleanly removing Mace Windu's hands. He stares at you in shock before Sidious once again extends his fingers and sends more Sith lightning toward the Jedi Master. Unable to block it, Mace receives the full brunt of the attack. "Unlimited power!" Sidious cries triumphantly as Mace is knocked from the ledge and falls to his death.  
-  
"What have I _done_?"_

Luke's screams of agony wrench you back into the present. "Father…please!" he cries out as even more dark energy coils through his young body. You look back and forth between Luke and Sidious, torn between your son and your Master. Sidious is now unrelenting in his attack, sending a constant stream of lightning into the young Jedi.

"I will come back and free you, Mom…I promise."  
"Now, be brave, and don't look back…don't look back…"  
-  
"I'm here, Mom. You're safe."  
"Ani?…Ani? Oh, you look so handsome. My son… My grown-up son. I'm so proud of you, Ani…"  
-  
"You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be. But be patient, Anakin."  
-  
"Good-bye, old friend. May the Force be with you."  
-  
"Something's happening . . . I'm not the Jedi I should be... I want more, and I know I shouldn't."  
-  
"Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate; show no mercy."  
-  
"You turned her against me!"  
-  
"You were the Chosen One! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!"  
"I hate you!"  
"…You were my brother, Anakin! I loved you!"

The furious attack ends momentarily as Sidious speaks: "Now, Young Skywalker…you will die."

Luke lies on the floor, smoking and writhing in pain. Still you look on wordlessly, slowly recovering from the taxing fight.

Sidious's lip curls back as he releases a final, intense onslaught of Sith lightning.

Luke's screams filter through your mechanical auditory devices, clawing at your heart like a wild animal. Stubbornly, you fight against it with all of your strength. You are Darth Vader! You have no heart; emotions are merely tools. You have watched many men suffer their torturous deaths. Why should this one be any different? And yet the screams continue to afflict you, ripping through your very being. As Sidious's attack continues to intensify, so do Luke's cries of anguish. He is weakening quickly now. He will not survive the deadly flow of power much longer. You continue to look back and forth between the two: your Master and your son.

"I truly…deeply…love you…"  
-  
"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose."  
-  
"Anakin, you're breaking my heart!"  
-  
"It seems, in your anger, you killed her…"  
-  
"YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE!"

Mom…Qui-Gon…Padme…Obi-Wan…Everyone you ever cared about is gone. Taken away by this man before you; this epitomization of evil. All under the guise of giving you what you always wanted…And now he is trying to take away your son. As you hear Luke's screaming and watch him writhe on the floor, your heart echoes the very word you heard your son speak only moments earlier: _Never_.

Taking a deep breath, you do what you should have done long ago: you fight back. Lurching forward, you pin an unsuspecting Sidious in your mechanical grasp and lift him over your head. Slowly, you make your way over to the great chasm. Sidious's lightning is now flowing into you, the electricity overwhelming the delicate life-support systems of your suit. Each step is an immense struggle, yet you press on. It's as though all those you loved and betrayed are in this very room, cheering you on, willing you to succeed. With one final burst of strength, you hurl Sidious into the infinite chasm. His scream continues to carry up from the depths until finally he makes impact, sending a rushing explosion of air back up the shaft. Struggling for breath, you lean against the railing for support. It's over. You have truly fulfilled your destiny.

Anakin Skywalker has returned.


End file.
